Abstract
RNA biogenesis, including biosynthesis and maturation of rRNA, tRNA and mRNA, is a fundamental process that is critical for cell growth, division and differentiation. Previous studies showed that mutations in components involved in RNA biogenesis resulted in abnormalities in gametophyte and leaf development in Arabidopsis. In eukaryotes, RNases P/MRP (RNase mitochondrial RNA processing) are important ribonucleases that are responsible for processing of tRNA, and transcription of small non-coding RNAs. Here we report that Gametophyte Defective 1 (GAF1), a gene encoding a predicted protein subunit of RNases P/MRP, AtRPP30, plays a role in female gametophyte development and male competence. Embryo sacs were arrested at stages ranging from FG1 to FG7 in gaf1 mutant, suggesting that the progression of the gametophytic division during female gametogenesis was impaired in gaf1 mutant. In contrast, pollen development was not affected in gaf1. However, the fitness of the mutant pollen tube was weaker than that of the wild-type, leading to reduced transmission through the male gametes. GAF1 is featured as a typical RPP30 domain protein and interacts physically with AtPOP5, a homologue of RNases P/MRP subunit POP5 of yeast. Together, our data suggest that components of the RNases P/MRP family, such as RPP30, play important roles in gametophyte development and function in plants.
Highlights
RNA biogenesis is an essential biochemical process that plays a housekeeping role for cellular life, and mediates many aspects of vegetative and reproductive development
We showed that Gametophyte Defective 1 (GAF1) could interact with another predicted Arabidopsis RNases P/MRP protein subunit AtPOP5 in yeast cells
To dissect the function of RNases P/MRP in gametogenesis and plant development, gametophytic mutants showing segregation distortion and reduced seed set were isolated from the Ds insertion pool and their target genes were identified [7,47]. gaf1 mutant in which a gene encoding a putative RNases P/MRP component, was identified
Summary
RNA biogenesis is an essential biochemical process that plays a housekeeping role for cellular life, and mediates many aspects of vegetative and reproductive development. Studies on genes encoding essential proteins in RNA biogenesis have attracted more and more attention since last decades, and many reports have argued that ribosomal proteins or components for ribosome biogenesis, are involved in the cellular process, organ and organism development [1,2,3]. Various studies indicated that mutations in genes involved in these processes result in fertility failure in Arabidopsis [4,5]. Most of the reports have shown that genes involved in RNA processing often affect female gametophyte development more severely than that of the male. Expression profiling of female gametophytic cells reveals that genes encoding PAZ, PIWI domain or DUF1785 protein family involved in tRNA, rRNA, or mRNA processing, exhibit high level of expression in the embryo sac [6]. SWA3, or AtRH36, encoding a putative RNA helicase, is required for
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